Purification?! Saitō Tenmago vs Inofuuten Yamanaka
Somewhere in the Land of Lightning Distant clouds rumbled gently over mountain ranges. Far-off rivers flowed towards the sea. The vast plains were empty...apart from a lone figure. His hair was yellow, vaguely reminiscent of the lightning for which this country was named, but his almost-garish purple clothing stood out amongst the withered sickly-coloured grass. His ethereal blue eyes slowly looked from side to side as he walked through the country slowly. The Konoha hitai-ate around his neck signalled to any wanderers that this was a shinobi far away from home, but his dawdling would perhaps confuse the wanderer. Ninjas travelling alone were usually powerful, and after completing a mission they would run back to where they came from, arms thrown back, chakra enhancing their steps and leaps. This shinobi was breaking the mold... "Thun-der storms and light-ning bolts, nasty chak-ra, elect-ric jolts!" The ninja murmured to himself in a sing-song tone, throwing together words and every so often craning his neck and turning his head to look at the aforementioned clouds. This land was interesting, but he didn't like the oppressive atmosphere that often accompanied the high pressure caused by the storms- sometimes the atmospheric pressure was so strong that it felt like a giant hand was trying to crush him, and he didn't like that at all. Reaching under the long skirt-like material hanging from his belt, he pulled out a kunai before letting it hang again to conceal his kunai holster. Then he span it on his index finger using the ring at the end of the handle as he walked. He was getting bored, but his home village wasn't expecting him back for two days or so yet- he'd completed the mission with time to spare. He stopped spinning the kunai after his mind belatedly gave him a gentle reminder that if he nicked a finger with the kunai, it could lead to trouble. Then he continued to walk, holding his kunai in the standard reverse grip and humming his little song again... About a mile further to the south, another lone figure stood silent in the entrance if a lone cave. It had been his sleeping place during the past week, yet sleeping wasn't something he had done frequently. The breeze became stronger, yet the raging winds remained silent for now. Th man's white robe was lifted up, revealing a white lotus inscription, the symbol of the proud and powerful Tenmago Clan. Well, currently it was the "once proud and powerful Tenmago Clan", and this was a thought that had been troubling the man since his defection. The man looked up at the darkening sky, and the staggering treetops that groaned under the violent winds. He decided hat it was time for him to go, so he could find a decent place to sleep before the storm came. he started walking north, his right hand hanging loosely, but still in reach of his nōdachi. The Konoha jounin had been walking for an endless while, or so it seemed to him. The breezes ruffling his fringe had grown stronger, but overall the weather remained pleasant for this foreign land. In truth, the ninja had no problem with being abroad- most foreign shinobi were quite accommodating once you got past their threatening demeanour and/or pointy weapons. He smiled serenely and continued onwards until something piqued his attention. There was something in the distance, a blot on the horizon. The jounin stopped, watching it. It continued to move while he stayed still, and his smile vanished as his brows knitted together. It didn't look too much like an animal. He almost bit his lip thoughtfully before remembering that the thing was still approaching, and he decided to speed up, running towards the figure at a speed that befitted a jounin, kunai gripped tightly. "Something for Inofuuten Yamanaka to play with?" he remarked with interest. The mysterious Tenmago member felt the approaching chakra mass before he saw the shadowed figure at the horizon, running at him with high velocity. His hand strayed to his sword, but he stopped just before he touched the blue hilt. He let his hand hang again, but reached with his other into a small pocket at his back, grasping some objects which weren't only seen briefly. He then continued his walk, approaching the running figure slowly. The man was smiling slightly. Maybe he could get some profit out of this unforeseen situation. Inofuuten didn't have to run for that much longer before he was close enough to see that the figure was a man, and he skidded to a halt before inspecting the man. He looked like an interesting person- his eyes seemed enigmatic, and his long hair added to his attractive figure. The Yamanaka tilted his head slightly, wondering whether to address the man or ready himself for a fight. His innocently childlike eyes remained on the man as he waited for something to happen. The Tenmago member held his step, and watched the other ninja as he closed in. Judging from the hitai-ate around his neck, he was a shinobi from Konhagakure, and if he wasn't a missing-nin, he was probably returning from a mission. He ground his teeth a bit. He was aware that he was searched as a world-wide criminal, and that the Konoha ninja would probably recognize his face, but turning back would be really suspicious. His gray eyes zipped from one side to another, searching for a possible escape route. When he saw there was none, he shrugged and grasped scroll he had picked up earlier. he held it behind his back, and approached the Konoha shinobi cautious and slowly. Inofuuten quickly straightened his head as the aesthetically pleasing man approached. His face was striking, because...Inofuuten stared at him before realising he had exceeded the socially acceptable time limit by about a minute- some people would be disturbed by now by his unblinking eyes. His fingers twitched as he made to reach for a book that was stowed in a small knapsack under his skirt; his eyes glinted with knowledge as he realised why the face of the man opposite him seemed so special. It was because this face was under the "Most Dangerous" section of Konoha's bingo book. "Huh...yes. It's accurate." He murmured thoughtfully as that page of the book flashed before his mind's eye. Then he took a defensive stance, ready for the criminal-san to attack him. Criminal-san would attack, nervous that any Konoha nin would try to take him alive or rather, dead, Inofuuten would fight defensively, extricate himself from the clash and then prepare his jutsu for use. With his kunai in his left hand, he waited almost impatiently. The "criminal" walked calmly towards the Konoha-nin, but instead of taking action, he walked right passed him. The shinobi's eyes widened for a second when he felt a cold breeze following the passage of the Tenmago member. Nothing happened, and the shinoui just walked further. Inofuuten span around on his heel, facing the criminal whom he had just identified as a member of a clan called the Tenmago. He wondered whether to directly attack the missing-nin or wait. He was obliged to attack the missing-nin, but it felt like too much effort. But then...his eyes clouded over as he debated internally. Suddenly, the Tenmago member turned around, his white cape sweeping around him in a dramatic fashion. He extended his right palm to the Konoha-nin, revealing the kanji 鏖 ("ō", lit. annihilation), glowing white for a second before it disappeared. In a circle of ten feet, the ground exploded, with the shinobi being in the middle. The Tenmago member smirked, and extended his hand once more. A greenish white flame appeared in his hand, but didn't cause any harm to him. "Hmmm", he murmured, "Interesting...". Inofuuten barely had time to react when the criminal suddenly acted- luckily for him, he had managed to read the kanji "annihilation" before it faded, signalling to him that pain was imminent. Channelling chakra to his legs, he bent his knees and sprang into the air. The ground burst under him, and as chunks of rock and earth flew upwards to meet him, he leapt from one chunk to the other until he landed on the ground. The odd coloured flame in the criminal's hand signalled to Inofuuten that this was going to be a challenge. The torn up ground that he now stood on could be attributed to some powerful earth jutsu, but this flame...he had never seen the likes of it before. Added to the fact that it didn't seem to be burning the criminal, this suggested that perhaps the jounin was out of his depth. Reaching for his kunai holster, in a flash Inofuuten threw several kunai at the criminal, aiming to pin his cape to the ground. If he could trap the criminal just for long enough to perform the handsigns, the Yamanaka could strike with his family jutsu... At the sight of the flying kunai, the Tenmago member moved his arm horizontally in a large, sweeping motion, the odd-colored flame leaving behind a green trail that resembled neither gas or fluid. As soon as the kunai approached the green energy trail, they froze in midair, and fell harmlessly on the ground as soon as the energy dissipated. The flame was still burning in the missing-nin's hand, it even seemed bigger and more intense. "There's no use," the missing-nin said to Inofuuten, his burning right hand hanging loosely at his side, "this flame is the base technique of the Tenmago clan. It absorbs all energy from the atmosphere, including kinetic energy." Inofuuten smiled dreamily- the ninja who gave away his attacks gave away his strategy also. He would bet that this missing nin from a foreign land knew nothing about him so far apart from the fact that he used kunai, which really meant nothing when it came to general ninja tools. Energy...reaching for his holster again, he sent a hail of kunai at the midsection of the criminal, and as soon as they were in flight he quickly performed various handsigns, finishing in the Yamanaka hand sign. "Shinranshin no Jutsu!" He sent a spirit of confusion towards the criminal- if he tried to possess the missing-nin's mind he would probably end up burning with that green flame, the criminal was that fast. Hopefully he could disrupt the criminal's mind for long enough to hit him with something... The shinobi performed the same technique as before to stop the kunai, the green flame now slowly spreading to his arm. Then, He suddenly felt a dazzling feeling as his head was knocked backwards, even though his opponent hadn't touched him at all. He recovered, his hands clenched at his head. The green flame spread once more, slowly making the confusion in his mind disappear. The criminal's mind processed rapidly. That technique, the konoha sign, the last hand seal... his oponent was probably from the Yamanaka clan, a clan specialized in infiltrating the mind of their opponents. His current state alone couldn't stop the full impat of their mind-disrupting jutsu... He closed his eyes, breathing out deeply. As he felt his chakra flowing rapidly behind his eyes, he could sense his opponent getting near. But it wasn't important... As soon as he got this, the fight would be over. Inofuuten watched his opponent's head whip backwards and rushed towards the Tenmago, bringing out one of the few kunai he had left over and extending his arm, intending to slit his opponent's throat with the kunai in a reverse grip while running past him as fast as he could make his legs go. If he lost even a second, the criminal could shake off the stun effect! Gritting his teeth and narrowing his eyes, he made his attack. ]] The criminal opened his eyes, revealing the rippling, rainbow-like pattern in his eyes. Inofuuten felt his pace slow down, as nature around him stopped it's flow. Eventually, he stood entirely still, but only for a second. Then, the energy flow continued again, causing Inofuuten falling on the ground due the sudden, unexpected regained control over his body. He looked up from the feet of the missing-nin, the sun behind his head slightly blinding him. "It's over." The man said, drawing his sword. The hissing sound of metal was followed by the reflection of the sun on the sharp blade of the nodachi. the missing-nin swiftly brought the weapon down, it's handle also being covered by the green flames. Inofuuten was not expecting this kind of resistance to his attack- he didn't know much about Kumogakure, but he definitely was ignorant about the existence of doujutsu in that country! Falling on his back, he barely had the presence of mind to keep his kunai grasped firmly in his hand. As the sun hurt his eyes, he just managed to hear "It's over." A bright object crashed down towards him and he performed one hand sign, hoping it wouldn't be too late- as the sword landed, it connected with a small boulder that had previously been on the outskirts of the plain and Inofuuten took its place with a puff of smoke, thanking Konoha Academy for knowledge of the Kawarimi technique. Then he performed a series of hand seals finishing in the Yamanaka hand seal, aiming at the criminal, "Shinkeikeika!" He aimed his Nervous System Strike technique. If it hit the opponent, it would allow Inofuuten to get power over the criminal's nervous system, leading onto another jutsu strike that would either cripple him with pain, scramble all motor neurone control or take control of the criminal's muscles, allowing him to cause self-inflicted harm on the Tenmago. Hoping that his aim wasn't off, he squinted against the sun, fringe falling over his eye again. The sword crashed through the boulder, the bright flames now spreading over the ground. The missing-nin looked down at the rubble of stone, and then spun his head around, searching for the criminal. Suddenly, a frightening feeling spread throughout his body, which he recognized as the familiar feeling of hostile chakra. He hadn't reacted fast enough to stop the attack... If this was another of these mind-overtaking jutsu, he would have to end the battle quickly. He sticked his sharp blade in the ground in front of him, and performed several hand seals, ending with his two hands clapping together. A sinister, green aura resembling the flames spread around his hands, as the air was filled with a heavy pressure. The actual flames behind me took the form of bat-like wings, giving the Tenmago member a demonic look. "Silver Celestial Technique...", he spoke sowly and with effort, as if even he had troubles with containing the energy. "Spear of Annihilation!" Inofuuten exhaled with relief as he felt the presence of the Tenmago's nervous system under his thumb (not literally). He just had to disable the missing-nin then he could take the unconscious body back home and earn a reward. But suddenly, the Tenmago took action, and before Inofuuten's eyes the ninja transformed into a monster, burning wings giving the criminal an impressive look. Then a glowing green weapon appeared from his hands and Inofuuten winced instinctively. It looked powerful, and unless he struck first, he could get seriously hurt. Hurrying though the hand seals and attempting not to mess them up, he called, "Itai no Sekika!", using his chakra to activate the pain receptors in Tenmago's body. If Tenmago was tough, this would do no more than buy him a small bit of time...but if he got lucky... The green projectile had already left the Tenmago when the attack struck him, but, nonetheless, the course of the javelin changed slightly, missing Inofuuten by inches. The spear touched the ground behind him, but he was still in range of explosion. Meanwhile, the missing-nin fell to the ground, screaming as he felt pain in every inch of his body. As his green flames overwhelmed him again, he recovered, still slightly trembling from the pain-activating technique and the great loss of chakra. Then, he realized, he was also in the range of the explosion.